Friday, September 12, 2014

Son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo released from hospital after Boko Haram attack

Lt Col Adeboye Obasanjo, the son of former president Olusegun Obasanjo who was shot and wounded by Boko Haram militants in a fight in Adamawa State Monday has been discharged from hospital, officials at the Federal Medical Centre said in Yola yesterday.

However, it emerges yesterday that a colonel in the Nigerian Army is feared killed in the current offensive against Boko Haram insurgents in Adamawa state.

The officer, whose name was simply given as Col Yakubu, was reportedly shot and killed in the same operation in which Lt Col Adeboye Obasanjo was wounded over the weekend. Lt Col Adeboye is the son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Sources told Daily Trust yesterday that family members of Col Yakubu who have become aware of the incident are now said to be in Yola, concerned that their son may have been dead already. They are said to be asking for true information about the colonel and requesting as well that his whereabouts be disclosed to them dead or alive.

When contacted yesterday the Defence spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade said, the officer in question is considered Missing in Action.

Obasanjo's son was injured in Bazza, northern Adamawa State during a failed bid by troops to re-take the town from Boko Haram insurgents. He was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where he spent two days receiving treatment.

"He had a minor injury and he was treated and discharged," a senior official said. "He received the best attention that we could possibly offer and he responded quickly."

Security concerns also contributed to his early discharge, the source said, disclosing that it was the military top brass who suggested that he should be discharged and flown out of the state.

The Information Officer of the FMC Malam Adamu Dodo confirmed the story, stressing that both his speedy recovery and the security factor contributed to his early release.

"There is also the issue of his safety given the attention the story has been getting", he said.

The case has been receiving huge public attention and high profile personalities have been visiting him.

Meanwhile, additional details have emerged on how the former president's son was shot and wounded by the militants.

A source told Daily Trust that Lt Col Obasanjo and some other officers were overwhelmed by the insurgents because the soldiers failed to obey the orders of their commanders.

He said when the soldiers were confronted by the insurgents in Bazza, their commanders ordered them to fight but they failed to do so effectively. As soon as the insurgents opened fire on them, they ran without standing their ground to fight back as ordered by their superiors.

He said that was why some of the soldiers were killed and others, including Obasanjo's son, were injured. He also said Bazza, Michika, Gulak and Madagali are still under the firm control of the insurgents.Daily Trust